Saint Longinus

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Saint Longinus
Born	1st century, Cappadocia
Died	1st century, Cappadocia
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Armenian Apostolic Church
Major shrine	Inside the Basilica di San Pietro, in the Vatican.
Feast	March 15; October 22
Attributes	Military attire
Saints Portal

Saint Longinus is the name given in Christian tradition to a Roman soldier who pierced Jesus on his side while he was on the Cross.

[edit] Origins of the legend

Saint Longinus in St. Peter's Basilica by Bernini

No name for this soldier is given in the Gospels; the name Longinus comes from a version of the pseudepigraphal Acts of Pilate. The spear used is known as the Spear of Destiny, or Lance of Longinus, and figures in the legends of the Holy Grail. In some medieval folklore, e.g. the Golden Legend, the touch of Jesus's blood cures his blindness. Longinus is revered as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Armenian Apostolic Church, with anecdotal details introduced to reinforce the duplicity of the Jews in the lore that accumulated around these supposed witnesses to the crucifixion. Longinus does not have an entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia. His feast day is March 15.^[1] In the Armenian Apostolic Church, his feast is commemorated on October 22.

The statue of Saint Longinus, (illustration), one of four in the niches of the crossing in the Basilica di San Pietro, Rome, was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The spearpoint fragment associated with the Holy Lance is conserved in the Basilica of St. Peter.

[edit] Gallery

Longinus pierces the side of Christ. From a fresco by Fra Angelico.

Christ on the Cross, the three Marys, John the Evangelist, and Saint Longinus

Statue of Longinus. Sagrada Família.

[edit] The Longinus legend in popular culture

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• Louis de Wohl, known for his "biographical novels" of saints and other religious characters, devotes an entire novel, Spear, to Cassius Longinus, the legionnaire who put a spear through Christ's side. The novel tells his life before and after the event, from a pagan son of a member of Roman nobility, through him being sold as a slave, to a converted Christian.
• The Philippine island of Marinduque every year holds the one-week long Moriones Festival in honour of Longinus.^[2]
• Leonard Wibberley's The Centurion (1966) features Longinus as a veteran of the campaigns in Britain who seeks Christ's help when his servant (and father-in-law) falls mortally ill. This version conflates the Centurion in Matthew 8:8 with the one in command of the guard at the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:54).
• The Seventh Sign is a 1988 film that incorporates elements of the Longinus legend and the Wandering Jew legend.
• Barry Sadler's Casca: the Eternal Mercenary series of novels features Casca Rufio Longinius, cursed by Jesus for spearing him to soldier until they meet again. This seems to be an intentional blending of the legends of Longinus and the Wandering Jew.
• In the short-lived television series Roar starring a young Heath Ledger set in 400 AD, Longinus is a sorcerer, and is revealed to be the Roman who pierced the side of Jesus, cursed by God with eternal life until he finds the Spear of Destiny hidden somewhere in Ireland. Only the Spear can release him from his earthly prison.
• In the White Wolf, Inc. roleplaying game Vampire: The Requiem, Longinus is one of the only three vampires to ever exist without a clan.
• In the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, the Lance of Longinus is a gigantic tryzub-like weapon capable of stunning and holding the supernatural beings known as angels. It plays a vital role in the end of the series as an object necessary for the ritual where humanity is to become equal to God.
• In the Japanese version of the video game Final Fantasy X for PlayStation 2, Kimahri's ultimate weapon was named "Longinus". The spear must be named so because it can pierce the divine. The spear was later renamed "Spirit Lance" in the International release of the game.
• In the movie Constantine (film) released February 2005, Longinus' Spear of Destiny, the blade which pierced the flesh of Christ, is an important tool in the ritual to release Satan's Son onto the Earthly plane.
• The spear was used in a 2000 comic book story featuring The Phantom called Spear of Destiny.
• Progressive Rock group Glass Hammer told a story of Longinus' quest for Glory in their 2002 release, Lex Rex

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Wandering Jew
• List of names for the Biblical nameless

[edit] External links

• The Reliquary of Saint Longinus
• Catholic Forum: St. Longinus
• St. Longinus
• The Holy Lance of Longinus